A large corporation in Manehattan hires you to fulfill the Diversity and Inclusion goals and reach the target numbers on the key metrics such as the absence of gender and racial bias. To their surprise, you are not entirely useless. (RGRE)

A Dark Souls - MLP: FIM crossover, where Knight Artorias The Abysswalker got transported to Equestria as a second chance to live his life again. He must act as Equestria's guardian from a force he is all too familiar with.

Long has it been the duty of the chosen Undead and Ash to Link the Fire, and keep the flame alive with their sacrifice. But now that this Sentinel has fulfilled his duty, what more lies beyond the Kiln? New horizons await in a distant land filled with strange magical creatures that he has never seen.

First story on Fimfiction! Been a while since I wrote anything, hope you like it.[Featured on the Front Page, 11/26/18] UM, I HIT THE FRONT PAGE, THANKS GUYS

Interesting use of Philomena as a device to transport our hero to Equestria. Does that mean every other time an Undead/Ash has chosen to link the flame, they've been sent to Equestria? If no, there's some magic fuckery going on here, and methinks it'll play a role in the story.

9314566I think one of my favorite stories to feature a language barrier between humans and ponies was this one, Arrow 18, shown to me by a good friend of mine, God_of_Awesome.

9314720There is a chance that our hero may or may not meet up with some previous chosen or champions, but I will say that he isn't the only thing that came from a different world and is now in Equestria.

9314904Well, early christmas gift for both of us in that case, I am more than happy to keep delivering.

I'm curious where you're going with this, although it strikes me as unusual that Celestia's first instinct is to consult Twilight's gang. Most of them are basically useless when it comes to actually knowing anything relevant to this situation. Twilight I see doing some research, but "Must consult the Elements of Harmony" is a bit of an odd leap of logic.

I really enjoyed the beginning of the fic, how the chosen one was struggeling with himself with the dilemma as to what he should do, and asking himself the very question so many before him have asked themselves, is there any worth in sacrificing yourself for a dying race and keeping up the endless cycle of sacrefice and pain.

Once more a crossover between two of my favorite things (Soulsborne and My Little Pony specifically) has begun and once more I must squee in anticipation. It doesn't hurt my desire to see this story through to the end that not only is everything given excellent detail, but both sides of the story feel as they should be. The Ashen One's lamentation over what he has sacrificed and has yet to sacrifice to light the fire, or even whether it's even worth it to prolong the Age of Dark is exactly as thoughtful and somber as it should be. On the other hand prior to Philomena's unexpected use as a Bonfire (I imagine she's going to be punch drunk for a while, I doubt that was one of her intended purposes) I got a genuine chuckle at Celestia's exasperation in dealing with an endless throng of petty requests from the nobility of Canterlot and Discord's usual mischief.

I think what I am most excited to see is just how else Equestria and Lothric are about to entangle, ESPECIALLY depending on what choices this particular Ashen One made during his journey. For example, did he do what I did and give himself fully over to Hollowing for a few easy levels, therefore running the risk of the Curse of the Dark Sign beginning anew in Equestria? Did he venture beyond Lothric to the Painted World of Arianna and the Ringed City? Honestly just the idea of having any of the darkness of the Ashen One's world find it's way into a land as comparatively tranquil as Equestria is ripe for possibilities. I'm just hoping the lack of a Tragedy tag means we won't see our beloved ponies be put through TOO much of an ordeal...

9315337I do plan on making this story as long as I can, without the use of too much fluff or chaff to virtually extend it's length.

9315426I couldn't be happier than when I see people happy. I refuse to let this idea die; if you start something, see it through to the end.

9315438True, it was a bit of a leap. It's mostly for threat assessment, since she got so close and got jump scared, almost like in Irithyll Dungeon; better to have them and not need them, rather than not have them and need them.

9315708It's something I like to roleplay a lot when running through the game. Very rarely do I make decisions that aren't "in character". Glad you liked how I've presented the character so far.

9316035Oh yes, now I remember. Discord probably just assumed that she was experienced enough to handle an animal that was in pain, or have something to help. She will likely check on Philamena's condition, after/if she reforms, before heading to the dungeon.

9316083I plan to stick close to Dark Souls lore, as I understand it, with only a few tweaks here and there to make it work in Equestria. I am also not super proud of how I wrote the second half of the prologue.

9316197Again I am praised for my detail! I'm pretty sure I'm actually blushing . I am so glad I could deliver something that has so many people excited, and I'm glad to hear that it sounds like you'll stick around until the end!

Yet again I am glad to see people share my enjoyment of the astounding weight of that choice; unless one had nothing else to lose, Linking the Fire seems to high a price to pay.

I'm glad that someone else got a chuckle out of the court scene. I'm not exactly proud of it, but I figured it might get a few laughs.

You're fairly close with your guess about his run in with the sorcerer of Londor, and the Painted World of Ariandel, but this particular Champion of Ash has never visited the Ringed City. I suppose we'll have to wait and see if anything else may have slipped through to Equestria, however.

Oh, and I may or may not be finished tagging this story; there are things that have yet to come to pass that may warrant additional tags.

On a related note to my comment before, I wonder how the Equestrians will react to news of the cycle of Fire & Dark. Will they be horrified? Will they turn their questions inward, wondering what decision they would make when forced to choose? This has to be why I love the Dark Souls series so much. There's so much room for personal interpretation and roleplay. For example, in my recent replay of DS 2 SotFS, I finally paid attention to what Aldia says. That the cycle is naught but an illusion, covering up the chains that man is bound with. And yet, the illusion is peaceful, and people are able to be happy, even if only for a little while. What would the mane 6 do? Shatter the illusion, break the chains that shackle them, and in return lose themselves to the unknown? Or would they continue their almost idyllic peace, content to live their lives by the motto, "ignorance is bliss." Lovely series Dark Souls is, but sometimes it gives me conniptions.

Cover image is misleading... I thought he would be reborn as a pony. Still good though, can't wait to see what happens next. Like is Philomena dead? Is the creature bonded mentally with her? Does he get transformed into a pony by the elements? Does the Ashen One fight to escape the dungeon like in DS1? Who knows what will happen?!Also How often do you plan on updating this? daily, weekly,monthly...semi-annually.... yearly......All in all, I have high hopes for this story!

9316376To be honest, so was I. This was one of the first images I found on google image search

9316482That was something I was considering as well, but haven't given a whole lot of thought to as of yet. I'm very sorry to admit this, but I haven't actually finished Scholar of the First Sin yet, though I've seen most of the bosses through speed runs. I'm sure that the ponies would chose to live in reality, after having dealt with Discord's nonsense long enough though.

9316567Who knows? He might turn into a pony Patience, friend, all will be revealed in time. As for when I intend to update this story...

9316678Don't tempt fate; the last story I wrote was over 10 years ago. Though, I do plan on updating this regularly. One could say I'm... almost done with the next chapter already

9316574Thanks! As I said, I'm almost done with the next chapter, so you'll be getting your wish soon enough.

9316640I've had some ideas, but I'm leaning towards yes. At the very least some light flirting~

9316807I definitely think you should give SotFS a run through. While not as good as 1 or 3 imo, it still has a pretty good story to tell, and Aldia has quite the imaginative view on the cycle, along with the rest of the cast. The gameplay is less good imo (looking at you ADP and AGI), but it's still recognizable as a Souls title.

9316824I used to think rather poorly of DS2 because of how different it was; the running, the way weapons were held and swung, the way the stats and infusions worked. However, after giving it a second chance, and having someone to point me in a general direction, I actually found that I liked the Power Stance mechanic immensely, and I generally dislike dual wielding. Once a get around to playing it, maybe in between chapters of this story, I can get a better understanding of the lore that came from this game.

9317057I do greatly appreciate the advice! I am one of those die hard fans who loves the series to death, and has played the first and third games to death, and while I do think very highly of the games and series as a whole, I know they are flawed. I do also appreciate the reminder that, no matter how hard I try, I can never please everyone. I definitely intend to have fun with this story, and I'll be sure to dodge roll through swords

9317089Oh yes, this is just the beginning. I'm glad you've enjoyed it so much, and are looking forward to more!

9316338I'm afraid to ask what kind of tags are yet to be added given how notorious Dark Souls is for being, er, dark...I swear that sounded better in my head.

But yes I can make peace with the fact that things are going to go SPECTACULARLY wrong once things start rolling, and I am grwatly excited to see what happens. I'm just hoping we don't lose too many of our little ponies....or you know Spike either

Front page with the first chapter of your first story. Well done. Add that it is extremely well written so far and you have yourself a jewel.

But I will lay down some constructive criticism and say be careful with your pacing. Many stories start out amazing but due to feeling rushed and plot points being solved too fast, and a story once great Falls into garbage. Same with too slow as then it just drags on and on, plot not going anywhere in what feels like endless filler chapters, even if each is important.

I'd like to say you do not suffer from those problems yet. Currently you have a gem of a story that on its first chapter has stayed on the featured page for a few days straight. Keep of the good work and try not to stress. Yes you now have a bar set on you, but go at your own pace and the story will continue on to greatness. Write what you want at the end of the day and just have fun.

A sublime comprehension of Dark Souls lore? Shocking portrayals of animal cruelty resulting from random magic? My current state of abject boredom? When can I have more! All my thumbs are belonging to you!